Noisy or darkened conditions can oftentimes make it difficult for a user to determine whether a fish has struck his fishing line. Likewise, even during quiet, daytime conditions, a fisherman does not always want to be watching over his line. Attempts to create fish strike indicators are known in the prior art. In their simplest forms, bells, or other noise makers, are attached directly to the fishing rod or line. Other simple indicators are glow sticks, flags, glow bobbers, and other visual indicators attached directly to the fishing rod or line. Unfortunately, in addition to signaling a fish strike, these indicators are falsely triggered by many other causes, including the wind and strong water currents. Many of these prior devices are also disadvantaged in that they have to be removed by the fisherman before the hook is set, otherwise the bells or noisemakers will continue to make noise as the fish is reeled in.
Another indicator, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,532, to Shaffer et al. requires an indicator to be in a housing separate from the reel itself, thus making an awkward indicator, having many parts, such as a spring retainer and a plunger. Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide a reliable and easy to use fish strike indicator that can be used with live bait, and is housed entirely within the reel itself. Additionally, an object of this invention is for the user to be able to turn the indicator ON and OFF, so that the device is not emitting a signal while the fish is reeled in or the line is being cast.